I hugged him and hugged me back. The embrace lasted longer than it normally would, probably longer than any other hug we’d shared. We pulled away, stepped back from each other as brothers again. “We’ll have to catch up.”
“Yeah,” Jax said. “You bagged Tatum Titan as a wife. Pretty impressive.”
“I didn’t bag her. I won her.” I was the only man worthy of her. No one else could match her strength, intelligence, and power.
“Whatever,” Jax said with a chuckle. “That’s a story I want to hear about.”
“And I’ll tell you when she gets here.” I glanced at the door, expecting to see her walk inside. I imagined the love in her eyes when she looked at me, the way she wore her ring with immense pride.
I didn’t see Titan, but I saw someone else.
Brett.
He glanced around the room before he located us in the corner. He walked toward us in a black blazer and black jeans. He held himself with confidence even though he wasn’t excited for this dinner.
My father turned to him, a slight smile stretching on his face.
Brett joined us, his eyes moving to Jax. “How’s it going, man?”
Jax shook his head. “A lot better now that you’re here. Your cars are awesome. Sweetest ride I’ve had.”
“Thanks.” Brett turned to my father next. “Is it cool if I join you?”
My father wrapped his arm around Brett’s shoulders, showing more affection than I’d ever seen him extend in his life. “It wouldn’t be the same without you.”
When I turned to look at Thorn, his face was pressed to his phone. It didn’t seem like he was reading an email or checking his stocks, because his face was pale as snow. His hand shook slightly, and his eyes were snapped wide open. “Everything alright, man?”
He ran his hand through his hair then stumbled back like he’d tripped over something. He dragged his hand down his face, and his chest was rising and falling at a formidable rate. His breath was loud, his terror obvious.
“Thorn?” I grabbed his arm, helping him balance himself because he suddenly appeared weak.
It took him a second to overcome the shock. He still hadn’t blinked yet, and his hand shook like he could barely keep his grasp on his phone. He finally put the phone in my hand, releasing a loud breath as if it took the last of his energy just to make the transfer.
Whatever left Thorn speechless must have been terrible. He wasn’t the kind of guy that scared easily. I could only assume the worst, that the United States had declared war or someone had died.
I looked at the screen.
Tatum Titan in Critical Care after Being Gunned Down by Bruce Carol.
My hand shook just the way his did, but I didn’t have the strength he possessed. The phone slipped from my hand and fell to the hardwood floor, clattering loudly as the screen cracked right down the middle.
Now I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t digest the words I’d just read.
Like I was living in a nightmare, everything moved so slowly. I expected to wake up, to tell myself it was just a dream.
But it was real.
My nightmare was real.
Also by Victoria Quinn
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Boss Romance_Boss 6_Sometimes power can be shared Page 19